Globally 181 children are affected. India among 20 countries that account for two-thirds of this number
India is one of the 20 countries in the world where most of the 181 million children living in severe child food poverty exist, a new Unicef report has flagged. The other countries are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China, Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Indonesia, Myanmar, the Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, Somalia, South Africa, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania and Yemen.
South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa are home to more than two-thirds (68 per cent) of the 181 million children living in severe child food poverty, the report said. These children while they missed out on age appropriate nutritious food, suffer the double damage of easy availability and consumption of unhealthy foods. “Among children living in severe child food poverty, four out of five are fed only breastmilk and/or dairy products and/or a starchy staple, such as rice, maize or wheat. Less than 10 per cent are fed fruits and vegetables and less than 5 per cent are fed eggs, or meat, poultry and fish. Meanwhile, unhealthy foods and beverages are consumed by an alarming proportion of children living in severe child food poverty, displacing more nutritious foods from their diets. In Nepal, for example, 42 per cent of children living in severe child food poverty consume foods high in sugar, salt and/or fat, and 17 per cent consume sweet beverages,” the report said.
Among the factors it found contributing to this unfortunate situation are the economic fall-out of the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine and localized conflicts and climatic shocks have exacerbated the challenges that parents and families face in feeding their children.
The study identified three major drivers for severe child food poverty. These are poor food environments for children, poor feeding practices in early childhood, and household income poverty affecting children and their families.
